Work begins on Freilassing – Salzburg expansion

GERMAN federal minister for transport and digital infrastructure Mr Alexander Dobrindt attended a groundbreaking ceremony in the Bavarian town of Freilassing on May 11 to officially launch construction of a third track on the line to Salzburg.

The €54m project includes the construction of 1.6km of additional track between Freilassing station and Salzburg Liefering, a new island platform for S-Bahn services at Freilassing, and a new single-track bridge across the Saalach River, which marks the border between Germany and Austria.

The third track will enable the expansion of Salzburg S-Bahn Line S2 and S3 services from 2017 to provide a 15-minute frequency between Salzburg and Freilassing, compared with half-hourly at present, and will also segregate S-Bahn services from long-distance and freight trains. The project is also important to the planned upgrading of the 147km Munich – Mühldorf – Freilassing line, providing capacity for the extension of services on this route to Salzburg.